Australian man Gregory Jones dies in Jakarta ferry mishap

An Australian man has died trying to save a drowning ferry crew member off Jakarta, police say.

Jakarta: An Australian man has died attempting to save the life of a crew member who fell off a ferry in an accident off an island north of Jakarta.

Gregory Robert Jones, 41, from the Sydney suburb of Camperdown, died after sustaining stomach injuries from a boat propeller while trying to assist a man who had fallen off the Tidung Express as it was about to dock at the wharf at Pelangi Island, one of the Thousand Islands off Jakarta's northern coast.

Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) police spokesman Ferry B said Mr Jones died on Sunday while trying to assist the crew member, Cecep, who is feared drowned.

He said the Tidung Express had sailed from Macan Island and was headed for Pelangi Island when Cecep fell into the sea, followed by another crew member, Hendi, who jumped in to save him.

"Upon seeing the two men in the water, the victim (Mr Jones) attempted to help the victim who was in the water but he was hit by the boat propeller in his stomach and he died," Mr Ferry said.

Mr Jones was the director of Jakarta-based company PT Unelec Indonesia, which manufactures distribution, power and traction transformers.

The Thousand Islands, officially known as Kepulauan Seribu, are a chain of more than 100 islands to the north of Jakarta's coast, that are a popular weekend and holiday retreat for Jakartans, with the surrounding reefs used for diving, snorkelling and fishing.

Mr Ferry said police were still searching for Cecep. "But the weather is bad - with rain and strong waves," he said.

The story Australian man Gregory Jones dies in Jakarta ferry mishap first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.

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